Improvement in clothes-tongs



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WITNESSES 'igfi' ATTORNEY UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE O. DAVISON, OF TYRONE, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CLOTH ES-TONGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 221.535, dated November 11, 1879; application filed March 22, 1879.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE G. DAVISON, of Tyrone, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Clothes-Tongs, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is arepresentation of a perspective view of my improved tongs as used. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the same; and Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section thereof, showing the attachment of the jaws.

This invention has relation to means for handling clothing in washing in hot water,

.and lifting the same from the kettle; and it consists in the construction and novel arran gement of a'pair of branches of unequal length, pivoted together, and having curved jaws. bent to come together in loop form, a spring to hold the jaws closed, and awristextension of the larger branch to relieve the muscles of the fore-arm in lifting, as hereinafter shown and described.

In the accompanying drawings, the letters a b designate the branches of the tongs, having the jaws c, which are bent in concave form toward each other, so as to form a loop when closed,this form being best adapted for seiz'in g loose masses of Wet clothes. These branches are pivoted together by means of pins d passing through a plate-link, e, seated in clet'ts in said branches, this method being preferred because the metallichinge-connection is guarded;

but they may be otherwise hinged together, it thought desirable.

Thelonger branch, Z), extends underthe wrist, and is provided with a concave cross-bar or end rest, g, which serves to bear against the under side of the Wrist or arm to relieve the grasping muscles and enable the operator to raise masses of clothes with ease.

The short arm, a, diverges from the long arm when the jaws are closed, and is arranged in proper position to be pressed down by the thumb in opening thejaws.

A loop-spring, s, passing over the upper jaw and having its ends secured along the handle of the lower jaw, serves to keep the jaws closed upon the clothes, so that no muscular action is needed for this purpose.

In order to prevent the wet clothes from slipping, and to protect them from the bite of the jaws, a rubber end, a, is attached to the lower jaw, and this end may with advantage be transversely corrugated.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The clothes tongs having concave jaws, closin g-sprin g, and branches of unequal length pivoted together, the under branch, I), being extended to form a rest, g, under the wrist or arm, and the upper branch, at, diverging therefrom for thumb-pressure, as specified.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE OLOSSON DAVISON.

Witnesses:

GEORGE BURLEY, J. G. BURLEY. 

